Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- National Football League players at
the Pro Bowl in Hawaii are being encouraged to use Twitter
during the game, an action that cost one player $25,000 in fines
two years ago.

The league will set up a computer on each sideline during
the Jan. 29 all-star game for players to go onto the social
media website Twitter during television commercials, or when
their offensive or defensive unit is not on the field, the NFL
said in an e-mailed release. Players are encouraged to interact
with fans, teammates and opponents during the game, and can also
update on Facebook, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an
e-mail.

The policy is a reversal of the league’s social media rules
during preseason, regular season and playoff games, when players
are banned from using such websites 90 minutes before kick-off
until they finish their postgame media obligations.

“We are always looking for ways to bring fans closer to
the game and the players,” McCarthy said in a statement. “The
nature of the Pro Bowl enables us to have players tweet during
the game.”

The Pro Bowl features teams of players from the American
Football Conference and National Football Conference, as voted
by fans. This year’s game in Honolulu will feature three former
Super Bowl Most Valuable Players -- New Orleans Saints
quarterback Drew Brees, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron
Rodgers and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

Players on this year’s Super Bowl teams, the New York
Giants and New England Patriots, don’t participate as they
prepare for the NFL championship game on Feb. 5.

Fines in 2010

In 2010, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco
was fined $25,000 for violating the NFL social media policy and
possession of an electronic device when he used Twitter during a
preseason game. That same year, Ochocinco’s teammate Terrell
Owens was fined $5,000 for using Twitter inside of the 90-minute
pre-game window.

All social media posts during the Pro Bowl must be done at
the established computers and participation is voluntary. The
league has no intention to adopt a similar approach for
preseason, regular season or postseason games, McCarthy said.

Last year’s Pro Bowl, televised by Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN,
was seen by an average of 13.4 million viewers, the game’s
highest ratings since 1997. The 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, by comparison, drew an average of 11 million viewers.